


Merry Band of Misfits

by Starlight713



Series: Atom Bomb Baby [6]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: About that fluff life right now, Affection, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Pre-Relationship, Unrepentant Fluff, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 21:45:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9568076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight713/pseuds/Starlight713
Summary: Lola talks about all of the strange people she has collected, and struggles with gravity.





	

                “What do you _see_ in all these people, Boss?” MacCready hitched his pack up on his shoulder when she was done loading it up with crap. The sun was still high in the sky. Perfect day for traveling. She looked back up at Diamond City and waved her hand high over her head, beaming. Piper waved back from the gates. After a moment, they turned their backs on civilization and set out for the next waypoint. “I never thought she’d stop _talking_.”

                “Pot, meet kettle,” she called over her shoulder. She had already walked ahead a bit and he had to run to catch up. There was a rhythmic bounce to her step that he found himself falling in time with—fast-ish, but not running or jogging. Purposeful. Natural.

                “Yeah, yeah.” The air smelled clearer the further they got from the cramped city. “You sure do pick up a lotta misfits, though.”

                “They’re not misfits.” She popped the cap on the Nuka Cola Piper had given her and took a sip. A drop of amber lingered on her bottom lip before the tip of her tongue caught it. _Christ._ “They fit in with _me.”_

                “Oh yeah?”

                “Yeah. Piper is street-smart. Observant. And she really cares about the world.”

                “She also never shuts up.” He grabbed the bottle out of her hand and took a sip. She rolled her eyes but grinned and stole it back. Privately, he liked listening to her talk about her friends. She got this smile on her face—soft and warm and stuff. Happy. “What about Deacon?”

                “Loyal to the bone. Best friend I’ve ever had.”

                “I’m hurtin’ here, Boss.”

                “Ha.” She shoved him gently and he helped her up a mound of debris.

                “Strong?”

                “ _Strong_. And he’s trying,” she laughed. “Trying reeeeeal hard.”

                He thought about Strong patrolling the perimeter of Sanctuary with his sledgehammer and Dogmeat. Then he thought about Strong squeezing himself into the meetinghouse for town hall. He snorted. Trying. That’s fair.

                 “Valentine?”

                “Old-world. He’s the only person who remembers what proper coffee tastes like.”

                “Garvey?"

               “Kind. Big-hearted. Takes care of everyone.”

                “Cait?”

                “Helluva fighter. Plus, she cares about people a lot. Loyal too.”

                “Tin can?”

                “ _Dance,”_ she corrected. “Steadfast. Really believes in what he’s doing.”

                “Hancock?”

                “I feel like I remember someone saying he was the coolest ghoul in the Commonwealth. Besides, he’s a big softie.”

                “Okay, you got me there.” They stopped in front of a demolished brick wall. It was about chest-height, but if they kept to the ruined buildings, they would have the high ground and be that much less visible than if they waltzed down the middle of the street. The wall looked stable enough to support their weight, and had a ramp made from a ruined office floor that led up to the top of what used to be a building. The whole mess stood maybe twenty feet off the ground. She tried to climb it, hooking her arms over the edge and scrambling for purchase. So uncoordinated. How in the hell had she survived this long? He grabbed her hips and boosted her up over the wall and onto the rubble. She seized the straps of his pack when he pulled himself up as if to help, but it only threw her off balance. The second he was up and over, she tripped backwards and fell flat on her ass. Fuses spilled out of her overflowing coat pocket and skittered across the floor. A lock of hair fell out of her ponytail and she tried to blow it out of her face. No dice. He suppressed a giggle and offered his hand.

                “Gravity gotcha down, Boss?”

                “Was that a _pun?”_ She dusted herself off. “Jesus, Mac.”

                “You walked into that one.” He picked up the scattered fuses and dropped them into her hand. “Or, well, tripped into that one.”

                “You are the worst.”

                “Is that why you keep _me_ around?”

                She paused and looked at him. Really looked—eyes wide. A cloud passed across the sun, and he could track its progress by watching the splotches of light shift and dance across her cheeks. The cloud passed and the sun brought out tiny freckles on her skin. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly a little uncomfortable. Shouldn’t ask shit like that. No need to get heavy.

                “Yeah, actually.” She turned around and started walking across the wreckage. “You make me laugh.”

                Her tone was offhand, but when he caught up, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As a note: Curie and X-6 are not in this because she has not met them at this point in her story, BUT I will be writing about them soon(ish), and she does love them too. <3 
> 
> If you want, you are welcome to check out my new-ish Tumblr here: http://starlightwrites.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you again!!!!


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